Despite nearly a half-century in the Yankees organization, trainer Gene Monahan viewed himself as a “hired-hand, helper-outer.” But that changed at yesterday’s Old-Timer’s Day, when a video tribute and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch left an emotional Monahan finally feeling like part of the pinstriped pantheon.

“Right now, I’m just numb and quivering and I can’t really feel my feet, to tell you the truth,” said Monahan, who battled neck and throat cancer last year and is retiring to North Carolina after 49 seasons. “I always considered myself a hired-hand, helper-outer guy. But I feel more like [a Yankee] now because of what happened. When I see those guys, the smiles and genuine happiness . . . it feels good.

“I actually do feel a little bit a part of the legacies that go around this place. . . . You feel a part of it because they tell you they care. It does sink in and I’m not just somebody that can help you out, or try to do this for you, but we’re kind of like a team. Part of like a family the way the Boss always wanted it to be.”

After getting tips on throwing a cutter from Mariano Rivera, Monahan tossed a perfect strike to Jorge Posada. Then he got showered with gifts, including a letter from commissioner Bud Selig, stadium frieze from his locker, and a Thomas Kinkade painting of the Stadium. He also received two seats from the original Stadium.

Monahan also got a fully-loaded Ford F-150 (Harley Davidson edition), a weekend in Las Vegas to see Garth Brooks and a trip to NASCAR championship weekend. But the gift that overwhelmed him was the team bringing his two daughters from Chicago to share the moment with he and his fiancée, Liz Dyer.

“This win was for him. He’s a true Yankee. He’s a winner, and he means a lot to us,” said Posada.